Lily Evans POV
"Absolutely not!" Lily grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her away from Dominic. The room fell silent, everyone watching the drama play. "We need to go," she whispered to Emma, whose eyes were wide with confusion.
"But Mommy, the man was talking to me," Emma argued.
Lily's heart pounded in her ears. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Not here, not now, not with everyone watching. She needed to get Emma out before things got worse.
"Lily, wait," Dominic called, standing up. His voice carried the Alpha command that made werewolves naturally want to obey. Lily felt her steps stumble but pushed through it.
Victoria stepped between them. "Not here, Dominic," she hissed. "Everyone is watching."
She was right. The entire party had stopped to stare at them. Whispers spread through the crowd: "Stone's daughter"... "secret child"... "the Omega who disappeared."
Maya appeared at Lily's side. "Take Emma to the kids' room," she offered quietly. "I'll handle this."
The children's playroom was down the hall, where most of the pack's kids were watching Christmas movies under a babysitter's care. It would give Lily a moment to think.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's go see what movies they're playing," Lily said, putting cheer into her voice.
As they rushed away, Lily heard Victoria's controlled voice addressing the crowd: "Please, everyone enjoy the party! The holiday draw will begin in fifteen minutes!"
The music resumed, but Lily could feel Dominic's eyes on her back as she fled down the hallway.
After settling Emma with the other children, Lily leaned against the wall outside the playroom, trying to slow her racing heart. Five years of keeping her secret, and it had all fallen apart in five minutes.
"Rough night?" a deep voice asked.
Lily jumped. A tall man stood close, watching her with concerned eyes. He looked slightly familiar, with the same strong jawline as Dominic but softer features. His scent was similar too, marking him as a Stone, but with minor differences—less pine, more cinnamon.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Ethan. Ethan Stone."
"Dominic's cousin," Lily realized aloud. "You've been away."
He nodded. "Playing hockey professionally until a knee accident brought me home. And you're Lily Evans. The whole town's talking about your comeback."
Great. Just what she needed.
"Look, I should go back—"
"Hide out here a bit longer," Ethan offered. "Dom's in quite a state, and Victoria's trying to calm him down. Give it a few minutes."
Lily paused, then nodded. "Thanks."
"So," Ethan leaned against the opposite wall, "that's your daughter? She's beautiful."
Lily tensed. "Yes, she is."
"She has the Stone eyes," he said matter-of-factly. "And the triple sneeze. Family trait."
"I noticed," Lily responded dryly.
To her surprise, Ethan laughed. "Sorry, that wasn't very subtle, was it? I'm just trying to figure out why Dominic never mentioned having a daughter."
"Because he didn't know," Lily admitted, wondering why she was being honest with this stranger. "I left town before telling him."
Understanding dawned on Ethan's face. "Right after he announced his engagement to Victoria."
"You know about that?"
"The whole pack knows that story—the Alpha who finally fell for an Omega, then suddenly married someone else. Nobody understood why."
Lily's throat tightened. "Well, now you know my side. I found out I was pregnant, told him, and a week later he was engaged to Victoria. I got the message pretty clearly."
Ethan frowned. "That doesn't sound like Dom."
"You've been gone a long time. People change."
"I guess they do." He studied her face for a moment. "But there's more to that story than you know."
Before Lily could ask what he meant, the playroom door opened and Emma peeked out.
"Mommy, I'm thirsty."
"I'll get her some punch," Ethan offered. "Stay here. It's better."
When he returned with a small cup of juice, Emma beamed at him. "Thank you, mister!"
"You're welcome, little wolf." He crouched to her level. "I'm Ethan."
"I'm Emma!" She took a big gulp of juice. "Do you like the Christmas tree? It has a hundred ornaments! I counted!"
"A hundred? That's a lot!" Ethan played along.
"Well, maybe not a hundred. I can only count to twenty." Emma giggled.
Something warm and unexpected bloomed in Lily's chest watching them engage. Ethan was kind and natural with Emma, nothing like the awkward stress of the moment with Dominic.
"Better get back to your movie before you miss the good parts," Ethan told Emma, who nodded gravely and disappeared back into the playroom.
As the door closed, Ethan turned to Lily. "She's great. Smart."
"She is," Lily agreed, then quickly added, "Thank you for being nice to her."
"Why wouldn't I be? None of this is her fault." He stepped closer. "Or yours, for that matter."
"You don't know that."
"I'm a pretty good judge of character." His voice relaxed. "And something tells me you had your reasons."
He was standing very close now. Too close. Lily should step back, but something kept her stuck to the spot. When Ethan reached out and gently touched her arm, a jolt like lightning shot through her body.
From Ethan's startled face, he felt it too. They both froze, looking at each other.
"What was that?" Lily whispered, her heart racing for a completely different reason now.
Ethan swallowed hard. "I'm not sure, but—"
"There you are." Dominic's cold voice cut through the moment like a knife.
He stood at the end of the hallway, his eyes taking in the scene before him—Ethan standing close to Lily, his hand still on her arm. Something dark and possessive crossed Dominic's face.
"Victoria's looking for you, cousin," he said to Ethan, his tone making it clear this wasn't a casual message.
Ethan dropped his hand from Lily's arm but didn't step away. "I was just keeping Lily company while Emma watches a movie."
"How thoughtful," Dominic said, his jaw tight. "I need to talk with Lily. Alone."
The tension between the two men was obvious. Lily could feel the Alpha power radiating from Dominic, but strangely, Ethan didn't back down.
"That's up to Lily," Ethan said quietly.
Both men turned to her, waiting. Lily's head spun with the strange new feelings Ethan's touch had awakened, alongside the old hurts Dominic's presence reopened.
"I should check on Emma," she said, avoiding both their gazes.
"Our daughter," Dominic corrected, his voice hard. "We need to talk about our daughter, Lily."
Ethan's eyebrows rose slightly, but he said nothing.
"Not now," Lily urged. "This isn't the time or place."
"Then when?" Dominic demanded. "You kept her from me for four years!"
"And whose fault is that?" Lily snapped, old anger bubbling up. "You made your choice five years ago when you married Victoria a week after I told you I was pregnant!"
Dominic's face paled. "Is that what you think happened?"
"I don't think—I know!"
"You don't know anything," he growled. "I tried to find you. For months, I searched everywhere."
"Liar," Lily hissed.
Ethan stepped between them. "Both of you need to calm down. This isn't good for Emma."
At the mention of her daughter, Lily took a deep breath. He was right.
"I'm taking Emma home. We can talk tomorrow, Dominic."
Before either man could reply, Mrs. Stone appeared in the hallway.
"There you all are," she said, her sharp eyes missing nothing. "Lily, dear, I think you should come quickly. Your daughter—"
A child's scream cut through the air, followed by a crash from the basement. Not just any scream—Emma's.
Lily's blood ran cold as she threw open the door. Emma lay on the floor, her small body shaking wildly, her skin burning hot to the touch.
"What's happening?" Lily cried, pulling Emma into her arms.
Mrs. Stone's face was grave. "Alpha fever. She's showing early. Much too early."
"That's impossible," Dominic said, kneeling beside them. "She's only four."
"Stone blood runs strong in her," Mrs. Stone responded. "Stronger than we realized."
Ethan pushed forward. "We need to get her to the pack doctor. Now."
As Dominic reached for Emma, his hand brushed against Lily's. Unlike the electric jolt she'd felt with Ethan, Dominic's touch now felt wrong somehow, almost painful. Their eyes met in shocked confusion.
"What's happening?" Victoria asked from the doorway, looking at the scene before her.
Mrs. Stone looked between Lily and Ethan, then at Dominic, her eyes widening with understanding.
"The moon spirit help us," she whispered. "A true mate bond has awakened."